Who is Chloe O'Brian?
by funnygalpot
Summary: There's more to Chloe than he knows
1. Chapter 1

Hopping down from his pickup truck Jack peruses the parking lot. Not surprised to find it empty at 6am on a Sunday morning, he walks around the side and grabs his bag from the bed.

Walking to the door he quickly keys in his access code and enters the building. Inhaling deeply he sighed at the soothing and familiar scent of oil and gunpowder.

_"This is exactly what I need"_ Jack thought to himself. A couple of hours of target practice and he's sure he'll feel more like his self again.

Walking into the gallery he drops his bag on the bench pulling out his favorite Sig Pro SP 2009. Feeling the weight in his hand he loads the clip and tucks the gun into his waistband.

After clipping a target, he puts in his ear plugs. Sending the target forward 50 feet he movs his body into the familiar stance. Pulling his Sig he rapidly he emptied his clip.

Taking out the ear plugs he sets his gun on the counter. Hitting the button to bring his target forward he hears the alley door open.

Turning around he sees Mike, the shooting range manager, walk in.

"Bauer, you're here a bit early huh?"

"Hey Mike. Just thought a few hours of practice would loosen me up a bit"

With a nod and a grunt the older man reaches over and takes the paper target off the clip.

"Not bad"

Chuckling, Jack looks at him, "Think I'm getting rusty Mike?"

Mike lets out a hearty laugh and slaps Jack on the back. "You? No. I mean not bad as in not the best". Crooking his finger at Jack he says "Come with me"

Jack obediently follows him to the back of the alley. Looking up he sees the familiar cork board where the top three targets are stapled showcasing the accuracy of the CTU agents.

Narrowing his eyes he sees the one in the middle. Seeing two bullet holes, one right in the middle of the forehead and one to the heart he grins.

"Who is that? Curtis? Chase?"

Another laugh from Mike has Jack turning to look at him.

"Nope"

Narrowing his eyes Jack steps closer as his eyes widen. Not two bullet holes. Several. One right through the other. _Whoever shot this successfully put more than one bullet through each spot with perfect accuracy? _

"Whose is this?" Jack asks curious.

"Can't say. They didn't sign it".

"Can't or won't say?

Mike claps him on the shoulder. "Looks like you've been unseated as the best, Bauer". Laughing he walks away.

Studying the target again, Jack shakes his head and smiles.

Packing his gear, he walks out to the front where Mike is cleaning the protection equipment. Looking up the old man winks.

"I'll tell you this.." He leans forward on the counter. "She's always here before you are".

"She?" Jack thinks. Currently they don't have any female CTU field agents. With a nod he says goodbye to Mike and heads out the door.

_  
7 days later

Sitting in his truck at the far end of the parking lot, Jack slowly sips his coffee. Glancing at his watch he sees it's just barely 4am. Settling back in his seat he waits.

15 mins later he sees a familiar silver Chrysler pulling into the parking lot. "Chloe?"

As he watches, Chloe walks into the range. Quickly hopping out of his truck he follows her. Stepping in unnoticed he sees her step into the shooting alley.

Slipping into the viewing area he leans against the window and flips on the video monitors.

First she steps up the counter and pulls her weapon from the back of her jeans. Checking the clip she slams it home and places it on the counter. Bending down she raises the leg of her jeans.

In shock, Jack watches her pull a Glock 19 out of her boot. She repeats her gun check and lays it on the counter beside her other one.

Pulling off her jacket, Jack studies her as she shrugs her shoulders and stretches her arms. His throat going dry, he watches her lithe body bend and stretch to loosen her muscles.

He watches her tie her hair in a ponytail and put on her ear phones as she moves up to the counter. Loading a target, she pushes the button for 50 ft.

Jack immediately looks down at the video monitor. He watches the screen intently as he counts the gunshots; he sees two perfect holes tear through the paper target.

"Jesus" he mutters. Seeing her start to clean her guns, Jack slowly slips out of the observation room and back to the parking lot.

He decided right then that it's time for him to learn more about Chloe O'Brian.


	2. Chapter 2

Monday - CTU

Stepping into his office, Jack clicks the button to frost his windows to privacy. Collapsing into his chair, he powers up his system, leaning back to think. With too many questions running through his mind, his head starts to pound.

Pulling out a pad and pen, he starts jotting down what he knows. "Or what I think I know" he mutters.

_Shooting Morrison's hit man was the first time Chloe used a weapon in the field?_

Thinking about that, he considers, all CTU agents, field or analysts, must clear weapons training before entering the field. Obviously, Chloe had to have gone through training and qualifications or she wouldn't have been sent to Nabilla's house.

Writing, he adds;  
Check Chloe's qualification scores.

Running a hand through his hair, he knows he has one place to start. He needs a background check. Not one done here in CTU. If he knows Chloe, she has had a hand in what her official background says.

Picking up his phone, he quickly dials a number before he can change his mind.

"Pearce"

"Harry, its Jack"

"Jack, what can I do for you?"

Sighing, Jack pinches the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "I need you to run a background on someone for me."

Hearing silence on the other end, he asks "Harry? I wouldn't ask if this wasn't important"

"I would think that the Counter Terrorism Unit could run a background on anyone" The man questions.

"Harry, if I could, I would. But this is .." Hesitating, Jack stands and looks down at the analyst's floor. His eyes finding Chloe at her station, he studies her hunched shoulders over her keyboard and a frown on her face. ".. Sensitive.." He finishes.

"Who is it?"

"Chloe O'Brian"

Hearing the intake of breath on the other end of the phone, Jack tenses.

"Give me some time"

Exhaling with relief, Jack gives him a quiet thank you and ends the call. Realizing he is still watching Chloe, he turns around and sits back down. He can feel his stomach churning. Something just doesn't feel right and he vows to get to the bottom of it.

A hesitant knock on the door interrupts his thoughts. "Enter" He barks.

His face immediately softens as soon as he sees Chloe enter the room. Spending a few moments staring at her, she fidgets in place. Finally with an eye roll, she walks in and drops a pile of files on his desk. "I have the hourlies for you".

Nodding, he takes the stack as he watches her face.

"What?" She huffs.

Narrowing his eyes, Jack watches her start chewing on her thumbnail nervously.

"Did I see you at the gun range yesterday morning?"

He catches her eyes widen a fraction before she carefully schools her features into a scowl.

"Yeah, and?" She asks impatiently.

"And… do you usually go to the gun range at 4am on Sunday mornings?"

Shrugging, she nonchalantly walks back towards the door. "Sometimes…" And walks out.

Smirking, Jack drops the files back on his desk and goes over to the window. Watching as Chloe begins shutting down her work station, Jack glances at his watch. "Damnit!" He mutters, seeing it's already after 7pm. Quickly grabbing his jacket, he takes the steps two at a time just as he sees her walking around the corner to the exit. Taking the back hallway he makes it out to the parking garage and hops into his car.

Following her two cars behind, Jack watches her weave and in and out of traffic. Confused, he sees her run a red light and then she quickly disappears in front of a transit bus. Stopping at the light he curses to himself. Deciding the best thing he can hope for is she ends up at home.

Parking a few houses down, he watches the small yellow sided home. Seeing her driveway empty, he leans back in his seat, settling in.

Checking his watch, he sees an hour has passed. Night long ago fallen, he begins to wonder where she is when his passenger door opens. His right hand immediately dropping to his sidearm, he watches amazed as Chloe seats herself in the passenger seat. Locking eyes with her, he immediately tenses as he sees the rage residing in hers.

"Are you going to tell me why you followed me home and then proceeded to sit in your car for an hour Jack?" She demands.

Flinching at her anger, he studies her face intently before answering. "Just wanted to talk.."

"Fine." Crossing her arms she stares him straight in the eye, challenging him to lie to her.

"Where did you park?" He inquires.

Smirking, she answers "3 cars behind you. Who knew it would be so easy to lose Jack Bauer in traffic" She mused.

"How'd you know I was following you?"

"I didn't. I didn't know until I opened your car door."

His eyes widening, he growls "You were just going to hop into some random vehicle that followed you home?"

"No Jack" She rolls her eyes in frustration. "I hopped into a random car I followed home. To my home" she emphasizes.

Watching him get angrier, she looks at him amused. "Look Jack, if you wanna talk, then come in. It's late and I'm tired" With that she hops out of the car and walks up her sidewalk.

Watching her for a moment, he shakes his head of the cobwebs and follows her to the door. Waiting behind her, she disarms the alarm system and lets him in. Standing in her kitchen, he looks around.

"This is not quite what I expected" He mutters. Walking further into her home, he admires the state of the art kitchen. Stainless steel restaurant grade appliances, with a large glass door fridge in the corner, and a matching standing freezer beside it. Running his fingers along the butcher block counter, he whistles in appreciation of the craftsmanship of the block. Obviously well cared for, he feels the linseed oil lovingly rubbed into the grains.

He hears her huff behind him before tossing her bag onto the table. "Coffee?" She asks.

"Yeah." Sitting down on one of the kitchen stools, he watches her move around the kitchen. Kicking her flats off at the door, she moves to the freezer and pulls out the coffee beans. Walking up to the most intricate coffee maker he's ever seen, she pours the beans into the top and clicks it on. Instantly, the room is filled with the aroma of fresh coffee as the machine perks.

"Make yourself useful… there's creamer in the fridge"

Nodding, he gets up and moves to the fridge. Opening it, he pulls out a glass pitcher, and takes a quick inventory of the fridges contents. Even more amused; he notices that Chloe apparently is big into cooking. Most of the ingredients on the shelves are varieties of vegetables and fruits he couldn't name if asked.

Moving beside her, she hands him a mug and points to the pot. "So… get on with it. What do you want Jack?" She whispers close to his ear. Twitching as he feels her breath against his skin, he inhales and catches the scent of pure Chloe; a sweet mix of vanilla and what he can only describe as 'sunshine'.

"How long have you been a marksman" Getting right to the point, he sits down across from her to watch her face.

Shrugging her shoulders, she levels her eyes to his. Shocking him, because this is not the behavior of the Chloe he knows. In fact, he's pretty sure it's been at least 15 minutes since he's seen that trademark scowl of hers. This Chloe, the one sitting in front of him, in this home that seems completely out of character for his Chloe, seems self-assured, confident, even challenging in her responses to him.

Her eyes meeting his without hesitation, he can see a flash of uneasiness, before she makes up her mind. Locking her eyes with him, she firmly responds "Always."


	3. Chapter 3

"Talk" He growls, completely unnerved by this Chloe. His eyes narrowing as her lips twitch into a grin, he can feel the knot of unease in his stomach spreading through his body.

Do you trust me Jack?"

Surprised at her question, he just stares at her. Studying her face as her mood shifts with his hesitation, he can see that she's frightened. _"Frightened about what? Of him?"_

"Jack, do…you… trust..me..?" She asks again with a cock of her head as she continues staring unnervingly into his eyes.

"Yes" he whispers.

With a relieved look on her face, she moves both of her hands to his. Grasping his left hand tightly between her two, he looks down at them and muses at the roughness of the pads of her fingers. Long, delicate fingers, so soft on the top, yet calluses on the pads. Obviously from long hours of typing, he lets his own fingertips slide against them. Instantly his eye brows rise in surprise when he feels a long callus along the first seam of both of her index fingers. Turning her right hand and then her left hand over, he studies them intently. His thumbs running along the calluses, he looks at his own index finger and recognizes the groove. _"A trigger finger."_ He thinks.

Looking up at her sharply, "You shoot with both hands"

"Yes" she says softly.

"You shoot often." Turning his own hands over, he shows her the identical callus on his trigger finger. "You shoot a lot…..with both hands" he whispers in shock.

"Yes" She patiently repeats.

Shaking his head, the next words she utters shakes him to the core.

"I'm not exactly who you think I am"

Looking up at her sharply, he grips her hands tightly. His mind racing along with his heart, he asks again "Tell me".

"I know you asked for a background check on me Jack."

"How..." He stutters. "I did that on my private cell phone… how do you know Chloe?" His voice thick with anger as he asks.

"Harry told me." She begins. "He sent me a pre-agreed text right after you called him.

"How do you know Harry Pearce?"

Puling her hand away, she slowly sips her coffee as she watches him, gauging his reaction at her next words "I used to work for MI5"

Sitting back in his chair, he takes a long look at Chloe. Realizing for the first time, he is looking at a stranger, he flinches when she again reaches her hand out to him. "Jack.."

"No Chloe. Explain. Nothing about you being a spook was in your CTU file. I would have known if it was"

His reaction causing a fleeting look of pain cross her face, he berates himself. _"This is Chloe. His Chloe. The woman who has kept him safe for years. Why does this feel like a betrayal?"_

"Jack… please….I didn't know when I came to CTU that I would… well…that we would..." Her words drop off as he sees her hands start to shake enough for her coffee to slosh in her mug. "I didn't plan on this. CTU was just supposed to be temporary. It was to be a kind of stopping off point on my way to a different life."

"What do you mean a stopping off point?" Hesitating as her words sink in, he looks at her again. "A different life?" he asks.

Exhaling, her head drops as she stares into her mug. With a deep breath, she lifts her head and again meets his eyes. "I was what Harry referred to as a 'ghost agent', working as a liaison between MI5 and the CIA. I was recruited while I was at university"

"UC Davis?" Jack asks.

"Not exactly." She clenches her jaw as his eyes narrow. His face slipping into the dangerous mask he wears when he interrogates a terrorist.

"Chloe.." He growls.

"University of Cambridge" She continues. "UC Davis was written into my background as my cover when I went dark."

"Dark? What the hell Chloe? A ghost agent? That's a field agent. You hate being in the field" Standing up, he begins pacing her kitchen. She hears his furious steps behind her and hunches over her mug defensively.

"I do"

Coming up behind her and placing a hand on the table on either side of her, he growls in her ear. "Why didn't you tell me Chloe?"

His breath hot against her ear, she can feel the anger radiating off his body. The closeness of him unnerves her and she feels her own anger lashing out at him as she slams her back into his chest to move him back.

"When Jack? When would I have told you? When you were playing dead? When you left for Washington? How about while you were shooting up consulates and I was busy trying to get you out?" The rage in her face and body shocks him and he takes a step back. Giving her room as she quickly stands and steps into him, her finger slamming into his chest as her words cut him deeply. "When Jack? When would I have told you?" Her finger poking him with each angry word, her eyes darkened as her breath catches. "When would you have stopped to listen? To care?"

Grabbing her wrists in his, he steps into her and pins her arms behind her back. Holding her tightly against his chest, he steels his voice and backs her against the fridge.

Bringing his face close to hers, his breath hitting her lips with each word, he chokes out "Care? Care Chloe?"

Crashing his lips into hers, his tongue sweeps along the seam of her lips. Letting go of her wrists, his hands press against her face as he sucks her bottom lip between his teeth. Sighing as he feels her body frozen in place, waiting for a reaction, he begins to pull away. Just as he steps back, she moves forward, pressing her lips again against his, her hands slipping into the back pockets of his jeans. Urgently her tongue sweeps against his when his mouth opens in surprise, moaning softly.

A growl rumbling through his chest a he tastes the sweetness of her coffee on her tongue, he reaches down to her ass and lifts her into his arms. Her moan making his head swim as her legs wrap around his waist, he grips her tightly as he sits her onto the counter. Sliding his hands under her t-shirt, his fingers making lazy circles on her soft skin, she pulls back gasping for air.

His eyes hazy, he rests his forehead against hers. His voice choked as he lets out a shaky breath and whispers "Who are you Chloe?"

"Melinda"

"What?" He asks with confusion clear in his eyes.

With a squeeze of her arms around his neck, she whispers "My name… Melinda De Bellis"


	4. Chapter 4

Her fingers trace along his face as his eyes close. "I'm so sorry…" Her voice choked with emotion, he squeezes her tightly in his arms. "I just couldn't tell you" She whispers.

"Tell me now Chloe. Everything. I want to know everything about you." Stepping back, he lifts her off the counter. Pulling her with him, he walks into the living room. Sitting down on the sofa, he pulls her down into his lap. Hugging her against his chest, he looks down at her. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he bumps his nose against hers. "Everything Chloe.." He pleads.

Looking into his blue eyes, she sees sorrow. With guilt running through her body, she sighs knowing she put that look into his eyes. Running the back of her fingers against his cheek, she feels the muscles of his jaw clenching as her finger nails scratch along the stubble.

"8 years ago, I was the G6 based in Germany." Seeing his confusion, she explains "G6...it's the agent in charge of field operations for a certain branch." Seeing him nod, she continues.

"Anyway, 8 years ago, Harry came to me because he had evidence that one of our liaisons, the CIA London station chief was running mercenaries against MI5. Considering I came to MI5 as a liaison from the Agency as well, he thought I would be a good fit to go undercover in London to verify the Intel"

"He sent you in alone?" Jack bristled.

Smiling softly at him, "Agent in charge, remember? I wasn't exactly the wet behind the ears computer analyst you know." Seeing the slight nod of his head, "9 months undercover, I had all I needed to verify the Intel. Hogan, the station chief, had been feeding false intelligence to MI5, and hiring mercenaries to neutralize any agent who got close to his activities."

"9 months Chloe?" His face shocked, he holds her tighter to his chest. His mind racing, he can't believe what he is hearing. _'Chloe, so innocent, so … not a field agent.'_

"Yes." He notices her hesitate.

"What happened?" His voice strained, he can see on her face the distress she has at remembering.

"Thinking I had everything I needed, I contacted Harry, and he pulled me out." He could see her eyes fill with tears. The look on her face hazy from her far off gaze, he squeezes her hand.

"Chloe..?"

Seeming to shake herself off, she nods.

"When my plane landed, Harry met me on the tarmac. It seems we were not as careful as we thought. In the span of 4 hours, our tech analyst had been killed by a ricin bullet. A junior case officer found tortured and beaten in his flat and a section chief missing. He sent me to a safe house with 2 handlers."

"Oh Chloe." His voice cracked as he listened to the heavy emotion in her voice. "Your friends?"

Nodding, she swiped at a lone tear that had made its way down her cheek.

"When we got to the safe house, I did a sweep. I found an electronic bug in the router." He felt her hand clench into a fist. "They had found me already" her voice suddenly angry, she took a deep breath. "When I stepped onto the porch to tell one of my guards, I saw a flash in the trees. By the time my brain registered what it was, it was too late. I was already falling, and one of the agents, a woman, was dragging me back into the safe house."

Sitting up, she curled herself into the corner of the couch. His hands already aching from the loss of her body heat, he clasps them together in his lap and watches her carefully.

"She took a round to the back of the head as she was dragging me to safety." Covering her face with her hands, he barely heard her whisper, "I didn't even know her name, and she was dead before she even hit the floor."

Reaching out and squeezing her thigh, he moves closer to her and softly whispers her name "Chloe…" she looks up at him and he can see the tears falling freely down her face now. Leaning in he calls her again "Chloe… come here" and pulls her back into his arms. As her body shakes with her soundless sobs, he buries his face in her hair, his own eyes glazing over with tears as he feels the pain seeping from her body to his.

Leaning back, he holds her tightly. Even as her tears subside and she quiets, he holds her tightly to his body. Closing his eyes he thinks about all that he has learned in just the short time since the gun range. As shocking as her admissions have been, they don't surprise him. If he thinks back over the years of working with Chloe O'Brian, he recognizes all the times of quiet strength he has witnessed in her. Her never flinching trust in him and never questioning his actions, she has been the one person who seemed to understand him. Feeling heartbreak fill in his chest for her, he realizes, she always understood because she was him. _'She was just like him.'_ And because of that, Chloe would always understand.

Feeling her gentle breath even out against his neck, he realizes she has cried herself to sleep. Slowly standing, he holds her in his arms as he walks through the house. Finding the stairs, he carefully adjusts her light frame in his hands and walks up the steps.

Peeking into the first door he comes to, he easily finds her bedroom. Gently laying her on the bed, he crawls in beside her and pulls her back against his chest. Brushing away the locks of hair that have fallen onto her face, he sighs and lets his eyes close.


	5. Chapter 5

Here we go, Chapter 5 Remember... reviews are love!

Hearing his phone ring, he groans as he rolls over. His eyes opening, he takes in the unfamiliar surroundings. Instantly awake, he sits up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as his hand finds his gun on his hip. Just as his fingers tighten around the butt of the gun, he remembers. _'Chloe'_. Looking behind him he sees the bed empty. Sighing he pulls his phone out of his pocket and answers.

"Bauer"

"Jack, it's Bill, I'm just calling you to confirm the prisoner transfer has gone through. DOD wants you in debrief."

Looking at his watch and groaning, "Bill, its 6 am."

"Sorry Jack must be done. Orders came from Division."

"Fine. 2 Hours."

He hears the older man chuckle. "An hour Jack."

Stretching his limbs as he stands, he mutters "Agreed" and closes the phone. Walking out of the bedroom, he instantly smells coffee and food. His stomach grumbling a reminder to him he hasn't eaten since breakfast yesterday, he makes his way down the steps.

Stepping into the kitchen, he sees Chloe at the counter. An array of vegetables and bowl of eggs beside her, she's quickly making quick work of an onion.

Leaning against the door frame, he watches as she works. The hand with the knife rapidly chopping as her other hand is flipping bacon in a skillet. He shakes her head amazed just as she peeks over her shoulder at him.

"Coffee's done"

Walking over to the pot, he grabs a mug and pours himself a cup. Downing half of the hot liquid before topping off the mug, he looks at her and says "I didn't know you cooked"

Smirking, she quickly pours the eggs she was whipping into the hot skillet with a sizzle.

"Apparently there was a lot you didn't know about me Bauer"

With a grunt, Jack leans against the counter and watches her work. The smell of the food a pleasant surprise he hasn't had in a while. Living alone he either orders out, or grabs food when he's on the go. Occasionally he'll have dinner with Bill and Karen, but that's a bit more formal. Nothing like the hot, stomach filling, comfort food he sees in front of him.

Handing him a plate of bacon, she shoos him over to the table they were sitting at last night.

Following him over, she hands him a plate with an omelet and potatoes on it. Sitting, he leans in and inhales the aroma of the eggs. Picking up his fork, he digs in. The first bite bringing a moan of pleasure to his lips, he blushes when he catches Chloe watching him.

Raising her eyebrow, she tilts her head as she grabs a piece of bacon. "You don't eat much do you Jack?"

"Don't really get the chance. And really, Chloe, this is fantastic"

Shrugging, she watches him eat "Spinach and feta omelets. My favorite" She says as she begins eating herself.

"Where'd you learn to cook?" He asks in between forkfuls.

"When I went on the run, one of the odd jobs I had was as a line chef in a really bad diner in DC"

Laughing, he tries to imagine Chloe working in a hot kitchen. Shaking his head, he realizes she didn't tell him how she escaped.

"How did you get away? From the safe house I mean?"

Looking down at her food, she says "I got out through a crawlspace in the bedroom. I waited there until I couldn't hear any more gunfire. The next thing I knew, I smelled smoke. They had set the house on fire."

"With you in it?" He asks shocked.

"I think they thought I was already dead. The shot I took was to the chest, but I was wearing a vest. The impact and the loss of air is what dropped me"

"How did you get out of the house?"

"When the fire got too hot to stay in the crawlspace, I kicked a board out of the back of the house. I crawled out through there. By that time, it was already night and I got away through the dark and smoke. "

"Harry knows you're alive obviously."

Nodding, she finishes her omelet. Taking a sip of her coffee, she says "I made my way to his house. It took me a few hours, but I made it. I snuck into his study and that's where he found me the next morning. He told me due to the fire damage of the safe house, the report would read three bodies found. Since one of them was a woman.." Her breath hitched then. The same pain he saw last night crept back into her eyes.

With a deep breath she continued, "Since one of them was a woman, the report came back that Melinda De Bellis had died in a gas explosion."

Covering her hand with his, he lightly brushed his thumb along the top. "I guess we both know what it's like to play dead" He smiled at her. Seeing her smile in return he asked;

"How did you get to be at CTU?"

Instantly, her face clouded.

"Chloe? How did come to work at CTU?" He asked again. Confused by the way her body tenses and her face closes off.

"Someone helped you didn't they? Someone at CTU helped you." The words came rushing out of his mouth in amazement at his realization.

"That's not my story to tell Jack"

"This is your story. Who helped you get into CTU Chloe?" His voice firm as his mind raced through the possibilities.

Pulling her hand from his, she said "One of Harry's friends"

Looking at her quizzically, he mused "Harry only has two people he calls friends at CTU. One of them is me, and he sure as hell didn't tell me about you."

Watching his face as his mind tries to make sense of what she is saying, she pulls her hand away as she sees the realization wash over his features.

"Tony." The name escaping his lips, as his eyes focus on hers seeing her glance away, he knows.

"It was Tony wasn't it?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chloe stood up and picked up the plates. He watches her as she starts rinsing them in the sink. With a growl, he's behind her in three strides. Roughly grabbing her arm, he turns her around to face him.

"Answer me!" He demands.

Suddenly, his arm is twisted behind his back in one swift move. Chloe painfully pulls his wrist up between his shoulder blades and with a kick of her foot to the back of his knee, he's on the ground.

With an "oomph", his knee hits the floor and instinct takes over. Going limp, he flips his body around and has her back to the floor in seconds. He traps her hands between them, his breaths coming hard and fast, he grunts as she thrusts her knee against his ribs. In a quick roll, she's back on top with her forearm against his throat, pinning him to the floor with her body.

"Don't ever.." She hisses through clenched teeth; "manhandle me again, Bauer."

Surprised, he relaxes his body and looks into her eyes. What he sees there causes his breath to hitch. A mixture of anger and pain shines in her wide eyes. Just a flash and it's gone, replaced with fear and a look of open shock on her face.

"Oh God… Jack" She quickly scrambles off of him. Stepping back as he begins to rise to his knees, she crosses her arms against her chest. "I'm sorry.." She whispers.

Looking at her obvious distress at taking him down, he can't help the full bodied laugh that bursts out of his mouth. Leaning back on his heels he sits back down and leans against the cabinets. Running his hand through his hair, he shakes his head in amazement. _'Definitely not the Chloe I know'_ He thinks.

Surprised by his laughter, she stares down at the agent sitting on her kitchen floor. With a scowl easily slipping onto her face, she sits down beside him and leans her head back against the cabinet.

"I'm sorry. But you really shouldn't grab me like that" She says hesitantly.

Glancing over at her he continues to laugh. Placing his hand on her knee, he lets his head fall back to the cabinet as well. Exhaling roughly, he says, "God Chloe…" And begins to chuckle again.

Watching him appear to lose his mind, a smile creeps across Chloe's face. She can't help but to laugh with him. "Seriously, don't grab me from behind again."

Shaking his head and holding up both of his hands, Jack clears his throat.

"Not a chance O'Brian." Blue eyes twinkling with humor look over at her. "Lesson learned" He mutters.

Tying her hair back into a ponytail with the hair tie from her wrist, she huffs.

"Good"

His eyebrow cocking up in humor, she watches as his face softens. "I taught Tony that move"

Grinning, she looks back at him. "Yup" she says simply.

Closing his eyes and resting his head back again, he muses "Tony taught you"

"Yup"

"So it _was_ Tony who brought you to CTU"

Bumping her shoulder against his she winks. "Nothing gets past you does it?"

Huffing, he shrugs. Looking down at his hands in his lap, he reaches one over and takes her hand in his. "Well, you did successfully for years"

Squeezing his hand she says, "Yes. Tony brought me to CTU. He said I would be safe, with the two of you there." Looking over at him, she said; "I already had a computer sciences degree; we decided an analyst would be the easiest way for me to avoid suspicion"

Nodding, he feels it click into place. The ease of her interactions with Tony, the absolute trust she had in both of them.

"You protected us."

"You two protected me"

"But I didn't know."

"Yet you still did" She said bringing their linked hands into her lap.

Silence filled the kitchen as Jack let his eyes close again. His emotions a mess, he felt himself filled with a mix of relief and confusion at the feelings he had pounding through his chest. Slightly amused at the ache in his knee and shoulder from her easy toss of him to the floor, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the new woman he saw beside him. A friend, a familiar face, a confidant recently, all running through his mind as he tried to grasp the thoughts and images making themselves at home in his head.

"That was quite a takedown O'Brian" He admits

Shrugging, she murmurs with humor in her voice. "Obviously, not my first. Most likely not my last. I'm deceptively strong for my size."

"I'll add that talent next to marksman on my list"

Laughing out loud, she squeezes his hand. "You have a list?"

"Of new Chloe things?" He inquires. "Yes, I started it yesterday."

Chewing on her thumbnail, she brings her knees to her chest.

"What other talents should I be aware of?"

Chuckling, she looks over at him. His face normally difficult to read, this time she sees an openly innocent curiosity.

"Talents? Many."

"Such as?"

Thinking to herself, she smiles again. "Don't want to wait for Harry's report?"

Grunting, he shakes his head. "Like he's going to give me a true report on Chloe O'Brian?"

"No… but I told him he could give you the one on Melinda De Bellis"

His eyebrows furrowing in confusion, he looks at her. "You trust me enough to see that?"

Shaking her head, she rises to her feet. Reaching her hand down to help him up, she smirks at the grimace that crosses his face when he straightens his knee. "Sorry about that." She admits.

Holding his hands in hers, she steps back so he can see her face clearly. "I have always trusted you Jack Bauer." Her eyes locking with his, "And I hope that once you read that background report, that you still feel the same way."


	7. Chapter 7

Walking past security, Jack glances at the bullpen and sees Chloe already engrossed in something on her computer screen. Quickly jogging up the steps to his office, he shuts the door and sits behind his desk.

It's been 6 weeks since he followed Chloe home and learned that he really didn't know the woman he trusted with his life. Over that time, he's gone straight from CTU back to her house more often than not. Just to talk, to eat, to share company with this amazingly strong and secretive woman.

Thinking back over the last weeks, he relaxes. She had said to him that she hoped he still trusted her after she read her file. What she didn't know was Jack was sure no matter what was in it; she was still the Chloe O'Brian he has always known. _'Chloe' _just being one facet to her personality, one side of her, something she gave to him willingly and trustfully. How could he not trust her? Chloe was still Chloe. Whoever Melinda was, he already knows that the only difference is a change in name. The woman he knows may be a softer version of the former CIA/MI5 agent, but she's still the same.

Harry had sent him the background two days after he asked. It came over via an encrypted file that Chloe immediately segregated on the CTU server and transferred to a thumb drive. After transferring it, she had deleted all traces from the servers and with a nod, she handed the drive over to him without hesitation.

His fingers trailing over the key ring he kept the drive on, he smiled. It took a lot of trust for her to give this to him. He hadn't opened the file yet. Never even peeked at it in the last six weeks he's had it. He wanted to see if her reaction to him changed at all since she willingly handed her life over to him. Over the last few weeks he studied her. She never asked, and he never inquired why she hadn't asked. All he cared about was the look of open honestly and trust in her eyes that never wavered.

Broken from his thoughts by the buzz of his desk phone, he quickly answered it with "Bauer".

"How do you feel about Sicilian food?" Her soft voice came over the handset.

Smiling, he leans over and rests his elbow on his desk. The sound of her voice, soft yet confident, in his ear instantly sending a thrill through his body.

"Is that different than Italian?" He teases, chuckling lightly when he gets an image of her rolling her eyes through the phone.

"Yes. Completely different nation, Jack"

"What time?"

"8." She says and he hears the phone click off. Holding the handset in his hand, he shakes his head.

This change in their relationship causes his heart to flutter in his chest. Their friendship seemingly stronger, neither one of them has mentioned the kiss from the first night. Nor have they repeated it. Here and there, there will be touches. A quick touch of her hand on his shoulder as she walks behind him or a graze of his fingers against hers as he walks by her on his way into the field, nothing overtly sexual in nature, all it more of a comforting presence.

Her gaze when she looks at him usually makes his breath hitch in his throat. The raw openness in her eyes that he sees when he locks his with hers. Every time he has come back from the field as of late, he sees her standing in the hallway. Watching and waiting, warmth fills his chest that he hadn't before realized was missing since Teri. The realization that Chloe stands in the dark tunnel of field ops just waiting to make sure he comes back safe causes that warmth to spread throughout his body.

He wonders what they're doing now. _What is this leading to?_ He surprised himself last night, lying in his bed, his very empty bed that he already knew what he wanted it to lead to. Something he kicks himself for not realizing years ago. He grimaces at the time he has wasted. The women he filled his bed with, his life with that weren't Chloe.

Audrey represented the life he felt he wanted. He struggled hard to be the man she wanted him to be. In the end he realized, that once he shook off that impersonator he felt he was when he was with her, that it wasn't right. The fear in her eyes when she looked at him while he was the harsh reality that was Jack Bauer told him all he needed to know. She could never accept the man he truly was.

Standing and walking to the window, he looks down over the bullpen. Buzzes of activity as the analysts hunker down and work through their day, his eyes drift to Chloe.

He would let her lead. Deciding last night, he had spent enough time over the years molding his relationships into what he wanted, thought his partners wanted. This time, he would leave his heart and body in the very capable hands of the one person in the world he trusted with them.


	8. Chapter 8

Pulling his truck into her driveway, he hops out with his overnight bag. Lately, whenever she made dinner, they stayed up late into the night talking or watching a movie, so he began crashing in her guest room in the wee hours of the morning. After the first night, he started bringing an overnight bag with him. It saved time come morning so he didn't have to run home to his apartment to shower and change.

Walking into the kitchen and dropping his bag on the floor, his senses are immediately overwhelmed by the delicious smells of dinner, and the sound of Chloe singing along to her IPod.

Grinning and sliding up behind her, he stops an arm's length away from her before he speaks. After all, he was serious when he told her he had learned his lesson.

"Hey, whatcha makin?"

Grinning, she turns around and offers him a wooden spoon that she quickly blows her breath across to cool.

The flavor hits him instantly and simultaneously a moan escapes his lips as his stomach rumbles in approval.

"Risotto con gamberi e zucchini" She says

Peeking into the skillet on the stove, he whistles appreciatively. "Shrimp?"

Laughing, she nods "You're learning"

He's learned over the weeks that Chloe speaks not one, not two, not three but 4 languages. One of which is Italian, which also seems to be the one she slips into when angry or upset. The first time he had raised his eyebrows in amused confusion. She just looked at him and said "You haven't read my file?" accusingly.

Not quite answering her question he had said "Everything I need to know, you'll tell me"

This is exactly what he's been doing over this time together; slowly learning all there is to absorb about her.

"So tell me what is in…uh…Risotto shrimp?"

Laughing she slowly says "Risotto con gamberi"

"Risotto con gambini" he says.

"Close enough" She says amused.

"Risotto which is rice, by the way, shrimp, zucchini and stock"

"It smells heavenly" He says as he leans over the pan and inhales deeply. Just as he rises up he hears glass breaking and feels a brush of air pass by his head. Dropping to the ground, he sees Chloe already on her hands and knees. Pulling his gun from his hip; "Chloe! He hisses" as he sees her crawling to the fridge.

"Hush!" She hisses back, reaching behind the fridge, he hears a rip of tape as she suddenly has a Glock in her hands. His eyes barely registering his surprise, they both rise up and return fire through the destroyed living room window.

Ducking back when the teakettle beside him explodes off the counter top, he notices Chloe is gone. Panic rising within him, he frantically searches the kitchen for her. Seeing her feet slide through the entranceway to the hallway, he breathes a sigh of relief and quickly follows her. Once in the safety of the hallway, they both stand.

Breathing heavily, he watches as she checks the clip of her gun. "I've got one in the chamber". Checking his own he mutters a curse "I'm out."

Falling back to her knees, she pulls him to her. "Bathroom, taped to the side of the tub; linen shelf, under the yellow towels, medicine cabinet.. pull it off the wall" She whispers urgently.

Blinking at her as she shoves him towards the bathroom, he looks back and sees her open the door to her garage before looking back at him, rolling her eyes, and hissing, "GO!".

Pulling the cabinet off the wall, he sees a hole in the wall housing a small army bag. Lifting it, he notices the weight of it. Quickly moving to the tub, he grabs the gun taped to the bag of it. Moving to the linen shelf, he tosses the towels on the floor and grits his teeth as he pulls away with two knife sheaths. Running back to the hallway, Chloe is knelt by the garage door waiting for him. Waving him towards her with her hands, tossing a gun to her, they both move through the door together, guns raised.

With Chloe jumping into the driver's seat, Jack has no choice but to throw himself into the back seat as she slams the car in reverse. With a squeal of wheels, Chloe floors the car straight through the garage door, jostling Jack in his crouched position.

Bullets rain through the back window, bringing a growl of anger to Jack. Quickly kicking out the broken window, he returns fire as Chloe speeds down the street. A quick turn onto the next and Jack sits up in the seat. Crawling into the passenger seat of the car, he looks over at Chloe, grimacing when he sees her formerly white blouse soaked in red blood, he grips her arm and demands, "Pull over".

"I'm fine" she says through her clenched teeth.

"Chloe you're hit, pull over!"

"Not yet." She yanks her arm from his grip. Sitting back in his seat, he grabs her gun from the floorboard and shoves a reloaded clip into it. Doing the same with his, he wipes the sweat from his face as he looks back to study the woman behind the wheel.

"You were prepared" He lets out, amazement in his voice.

"Don't be so surprised Jack" She says with the pain evident in her voice.

"I'm not. What I'm surprised about is exactly how prepared you were" He says, holding up the bag in his hand which now open he can see holds multiple back up weapons in addition to ammo and the knives he had tossed in there.

With a grimace, she looks at him as she pulls off the highway down a gravel road. "You should know Jack… even dead agents don't stay dead."


	9. Chapter 9

She pulls the car through the gate leading to a row of storage units. Slamming the car into park, she rests her head on the steering wheel. Looking over, Jack steps from the car, but her vision gets cloudier as he moves.

Jack runs around to the driver's side when he sees Chloe still not moving from her seat. Gripping her arm firmly, he helps her out of the car. Stumbling, she wraps her arm around his neck. "Jesus… Chloe.." He gasps, seeing her entire right side is now a bright crimson. Watching her wince as her legs give out, he wraps his arm around her waist and holds her up beside him.

"Which one?" He asks.

"Unit 42" She gasps pointing to the door off to the side. Taking her keys from her limp hand, he leans her against the hood of her car and jogs to the unit. Making quick work of the lock, he slides the door up. Looking into the dark space, he pulls the tarp off the object taking up the bulk of the room.

Revealing a black four door sedan, he slides into the driver's seat. Starting the vehicle, he pulls it out alongside her car. Hopping out, he opens the back door and rushes to Chloe. Grasping her face in his hands, he calls her name urgently "Chloe!" Patting her cheek, he yells "Stay with me, Chloe! You stay awake!"

Picking her up in his arms, he gently lays her down across the back seat. With a quick glance through the parking lot and determining they are still alone, he crawls in beside her. Straddling her, he tears open her blouse. A harsh curse escapes his lips as he sees the wound from the bullet that tore through her shoulder. Gently rolling her over, he whispers an apology when she moans. Tracing the path of the bullet he finds the exit wound and he exhales in relief. Pulling off his jacket, he presses it against her shoulder.

As he slides out of the car, she grabs his hand. Her eyes still closed, she grits out between clenched teeth "Tony…"

Slamming the back door, he slides into the driver's seat. Jack hits the speed dial on his phone as he pulls out of the parking lot. "Damnit Tony! Pick up!" He pleads.

"Almeida"

"Tony.. It's Jack"

"Jack? What's wrong?" His voice immediately concerned as he hears the desperation in his friends tone.

"It's Chloe.."

Jack hears the edge to Tony's voice. "Where are you?"

"Turning onto the freeway now, just leaving her storage unit. Tony… she's hit. It's bad.." As he chokes on the words, he looks over his shoulder and sees her already unconscious in the seat.

"Get to the docks Jack. I'll be there in 15" With that Jack makes a quick U-turn and tosses his phone onto the seat beside him. Glancing into the rear view mirror again, he presses hard on the accelerator and speeds down the highway.

20 mins later he pulls along storage trailers and spots Tony's car. As soon as he puts the car in park, Tony opens the driver's side door and demands; "Get into the back"

Once in the back, Jack lifts Chloe's head into his lap. Smoothing the hair off her face, he watches closely as her chest rises and falls. Pressing his hand firmly over her shoulder wound, his brows furrow in worry when she doesn't move.

"Tell me Jack." Tony demands as he pulls back onto the highway.

Meeting his friend's eyes in the mirror, Jack whispers "I know."

Tony's eyes narrow before he looks back to the road.

"They came for her." Tony states firmly.

"Yes." His fingers trailing along Chloe's cheek, he feels the rage building inside of him. "We were in her kitchen and suddenly there are bullets coming through her window."

"God-damnit!" Tony slams his fist into the steering wheel as he looks back into the mirror. "How the hell did they find her?"

Running his hand down his face, Jack shakes his head. "Me…"

Tony turns around in his seat, his voice low and deadly "Explain"

"About 6 weeks ago, I asked Harry Pearce for a background check on Chloe"

Tony's eyes go wide as he asks "You did what?!"

"I didn't know. I just knew something wasn't right…."

"Damnit Jack! This is Chloe! You knew everything you needed to know about her!"

"Well obviously I didn't, did I Tony?" His voice hostile, full of anger, his eyes bore into his friend's. With a shake of his head, he sees a mixture of emotions move across Tony's face before he speaks again.

"Well Jack, if you asked Harry, then that isn't how they found her. He would die himself before he put her into danger again. Something else must have happened"

Looking out the window as his mind races, he inquires; "Where are we going?"

Turning off the highway, Tony grunts "She has a safe house."

"We need medical supplies. It's a through and through, but she's lost a lot of blood."

"She's prepared….. We'll have everything we need at the safe house."

Blowing an exhale though his lips, he gives a nod of his head and looks back down at Chloe. His eyes filling with tears, as he wipes a streak of blood from her cheek. Holding her tightly in his arms, he leans his head down beside hers. "Stay with me Chloe… stay with me…"


	10. Chapter 10

As the darkness of night deepens, Tony pulls the car behind a small cabin. Looking between the trees as he steps from the car, he sighs and opens the door to the back seat. Leaning in, he presses a hand to his friend's shoulder, fast asleep with Chloe in his lap.

Rousing awake, Jack turns and looks out the windows and takes in the small cabin nearly completely hidden by the trees. "Chloe must have picked this for the seclusion" he thinks.

Letting Tony lift Chloe out of his arms, Jack steps out of the car and stretches his body. Pressing the light on his watch, he's surprised two hours have passed.

"Jack, there's a generator beside the porch. Get it started."

Looking up sharply at Tony, he nods as the other man begins walking up the steps of the porch.

After starting the generator, Jack runs back to the car. Popping the trunk with the lever, Jack searches through the trunk. Grabbing the army bag from the house, he pulls up the floorboard of the trunk. Situated against the spare tire he pulls out a shotgun and a box of shells. No longer surprised by Chloe's resourcefulness, he pockets the box of shells and carries the bag and shotgun into the cabin.

Tony already has laid Chloe on the single bed in the two room cabin. Currently removing the remains of her torn blouse, he looks over his shoulder and waves Jack over. "In the bathroom, there's a trunk, drag it in here"

With a nod, Jack takes the four steps into the smaller room. Easily finding the grey trunk on the floor, he drags it back to the bed. Flipping the lid he finds several changes of Chloe's clothes and beneath that a fully stocked med kit. Handing it over to Tony, he says "She's lost too much blood"

Grunting, Tony rolls up his shirt sleeve. Pulling his belt from his jeans, he tightens it around his upper arm. "Hand me that tubing and a bag of saline."

He watches as Tony quickly inserts the needle into Chloe's arm, connecting the tube and hanging the saline over the headboard. Watching as Tony connects the other tube to his own arm, he grabs his wrist. "Do you know what you're doing?" He hisses.

"Relax Jack.. I'm O positive… it's her best chance" Pushing his hand away, he waits until the tube fills with blood before he connects it to the adapter on Chloe's. Sliding to the floor, Tony leans against the bed, resting his arm above him to the bed next to Chloe's.

With a frustrated shake of his head, Jack tapes the needle against Tony's arm and then gives Chloe's wound all his attention. Flushing it out, he begins stitching the entrance. Once done, and fresh gauze pads taped to his handiwork, he gently rolls her on her side to get to the exit.

"How much do you know?" Tony asks from the floor.

"Only what she's told me."

"Which is?" Tony growls out in impatience.

Carefully tying a stitch in her shoulder, Jack bites through the thread and wipes the wound down with alcohol before answering.

"I know her name. That she used to be a liaison between MI5 and the CIA. I know she's supposed to be dead, and I know ..." Looking directly at Tony; "… Someone else knows she's alive"

"This is a temporary safe house Jack. I don't know the next leg of her backup plan. Unless she wakes up soon, we're on our own."

Sitting back on the bed, he gently rolls Chloe over onto her back. Laying his hand on her cheek, he leans down and leaves a soft kiss on her forehead before looking back to Tony. "What else do you know? Do you know who's after her?"

With a shrug to his shoulders Tony answers "No. I know about all that you know."

"You didn't ask?" Jack looks at him incredulously.

"Look Jack… I knew all needed to know. A friend needed help. So I went. I didn't ask Harry, and Harry didn't tell me."

Jack's voice furious, he grits out "How could you not be prepared?!"

"Prepared? What the hell do you think this is Jack?!" His hand sweeps over the cabin. "I didn't need to know anything more than she was willing to offer me." Hanging his head against his chest he adjusts his arm on the bed, flexing his fist. "You didn't see her Jack.." He whispers.

Looking his friend in the eyes, he explains. "I got a call from Harry. He told me he had an agent who needed to go dark. I asked him how dark and his answer was 'dead'. That was all I needed to know."

"You should have told me Tony"

"No Jack. I shouldn't have! You don't get the point. You know this better than anyone… when an agent needs to be dead, they have to be dead! We both know the more people kept in the dark the better, right?"

With a slump of his shoulders Jack nods his understanding. Watching Tony on the floor, he sees the man's own shoulders slump. His eyes dark and a wave of sadness at their situation washes over him as he hears; "We need to know who exactly is after her"

Something clicks in Jack's mind. Quickly pulling out his keys, he tosses them to Tony. "That drive has her entire file on it."

Tony's eyes widen as he looks at the drive. Looking around the room, a small smile creeps across his face. "Jack, pull the couch away from the wall. Under the floor, you'll find a laptop."

Raising his eyebrow, Jack immediately jumps up and runs to the couch. A quick push and he tests the floor boards with his foot. Recognizing a soft spot, he crouches and pulls his pocket knife out. Flipping the blade, he pries loose the floor board. Pulling out a plastic wrapped bag, he drops the board back into place.

Moving back to the bed he drops to the floor beside Tony as he tears away the plastic and pulls out a laptop. Plugging it in, he pushes the drive into the USB port. Immediately, a file folder appears on the desk top. Clicking it open, both he and Tony stare intently at the screen as the picture of her government ID fills the screen. The ID showcases an image of a very different Chloe. Her hair a dark black, her face a bit younger, and her expression firm with her chin held high. A red banner flashing below her picture "DECEASED" causes Jack's next breath to hitch in his throat.


	11. Chapter 11

Jack quickly scrolls past the image as he tries to convince his chest to intake oxygen again.

Coming to the history page, he begins reading about Chloe O'Brian. Or rather, according to the classified file he's looking at "Melinda Rosalia De Bellis.

Birth: January 4, 1972 Vittoria, Sicily  
Parents: Rosalia and Michael De Bellis  
Religion: Greek Orthodox

Time Line:  
May 1990: Enlisted Italian Air Force  
Stationed: July 1990: Sigonella Naval Air Station

Scanning through the time line, seeing most of the page in Italian, Jack looks up at Tony "How good is your Italian?"

Letting out a low whistle, Tony shakes his head. "Rusty. I get the gist though..." He says scanning through the page.

"1994… sottotenente… That's lieutenant I believe….1996 … injured in the line of duty…. gunshot to the back… yikes..."

Jack's eyes narrow as he absorbs Tony's words. "Chloe was in the military?" He asks, his voice showing his shock and looks behind him to the unconscious woman on the bed with new eyes.

"Yeah... it appears so. Looks like she..." He stops as he moves the curser down the page. "Yeah, here… Looks like she officially retired from the Italian Air Force after literally getting back on her feet and enrolled in college in 1997" Whistling again, Tony gave his head a quick shake and looks at Jack. "Our girl was recruited by the CIA a few months later."

Scanning through the next few pages, Tony gives a run down to Jack as he hits on major points. "The next pages are basically a history of her military experience. Then after that is a few redacted CIA missions before she was sent as a liaison to MI5"

"What's the most recent?' Jack asks.  
Tony continues scrolling through the pages. "Ahh English!"

They both hunch over the laptop as they read about De Bellis' last mission with Mi5.

"Looks like this is what we need… Here... Bob Hogan… He's the station chief Chloe mentioned to me" Jack tells Tony.

As he reads, Jack lets out a furious hiss. "She was green! Harry had no business sending her after Hogan!"

"That's probably why he did it Jack. She'd be the last person Hogan expected. At least that's the way it worked until she got back. Hogan must have had her under surveillance. As soon as he realized what was at stake, and what she knew, he ordered the hit."

Reading, Jack gets to the last photographs in the file. Taking a deep breath as he scans through the photos, he takes in the images of the crime scene of her safe house. The camera had captured the still smoking pile of rubble and the black bags holding three bodies on the grass. Not wanting to imagine Chloe trying to escape that, he quickly clicks on the rest. News articles of the 'gas explosion', an obituary, and 2 months later a news article with a grainy image of Bob Hogan being taken into custody.

"Apparently, he was arrested. That would piss anyone off" Tony muses.

"Yeah, we need to call Harry."

"Hopefully, he'll know exactly who from Hogan's mercenaries, is still alive and wanting revenge."

Standing up, Jack stretches his limbs. Checking Tony's IV and then Chloe's, he unhooks the tubing, and tapes off Tony's arm. Reaching down he helps him up off of the floor. "Steady now" He whispers when Tony visibly shakes with the effort of standing.

"I may have given her more than the liter I was planning…" Tony mutters.

Chuckling, Jack sits him on the bed beside Chloe and lets his hand rest against Tony's cheek.

"You did a good thing Tony…" Grabbing him by the neck, he leans his forehead against the other man's. "Now and then…" he says before standing.  
Nodding, Tony motions him away with a wave of his hand. "Go call Pearce."

Stepping onto the porch, Jack looks up at the night sky. Listening to the sounds of the woods, he slips his cell phone out of his pocket and dials.

"Pearce" A voice thick with sleep answers.

"Harry, it's Jack."

"Jack, it's….2am.."

"Yeah, I know the time difference Pearce" He growls. "They've found her. Chloe…"

"What happened" Pearce's voice now more alert, Jack can hear him click on a light.

"Shots fired, at least 2 hostiles at her home. I know we took out one when we drove off. I never got a look at the other."

A hesitation before he hears "Did you say two?"

"Yeah. Who are we looking for Harry?"

"Over the last two years we have managed to clear out a gang called the Red-Backs that Bob Hogan used as mercenaries. Two of them have escaped capture."

"They've made it here. How'd the hell did they find her?"

"I have no idea Jack. Melinda has been in hiding for years. Long enough and far enough away that we thought she was safe, wrongly apparently. How is she?"

Sitting down on the step to the porch, Jack lets his head fall into his hands. "She took a through and through to the shoulder. Tony and I have her at a safe house, but she's still unconscious."

"I'll send you all I have on the two Red-Backs left. We only have a grainy image of one of them, Oliver Gacey. The other one, they call the 'Mole'. He has a knack for getting into places he shouldn't be. No pictures have ever been taken of him."  
"How soon can you send it?"

"Give me 20 minutes."

"Will do"

"Hey Jack?"

"Yeah Harry?"

"Take care of her…"

"With my dying breath" Jack whispers and clicks end on the call. Standing, he walks back into the cabin, where he finds Tony, rifling through the two cabinets in the corner under a sink.

"Jack, over here…" He says when Tony hears him enter. When Jack walks up, he starts handing him bottles of water and packages of food. Standing back up and closing the cabinet, he takes a bottle of orange juice from Jack and downs it in two gulps.

"Gotta replenish" He says before tossing the empty container into the sink. "I don't think she'll need any more blood, but I have the feeling that whatever you're about to tell me requires my energy."

"You keep this place stocked?" Jack asks.

"I come up here one weekend a month to make sure the generator is full, and there's food not expired, just in case." Looking over at Chloe on the bed, he says "I was hoping none of this would be needed though."


End file.
